Lighting system



J m e@ l m r u H w j wnw Om H n F June 26, 1934.

Patented June 26, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

This invention relates to lighting systems more particularly for automotive vehicles.

Among other objects, the invention aims to provide, in combination with a plurality of lighting circuits and selective control means therefor, additional circuits in parallel respectively with the first mentioned circuits, and unitary switching mechanism in the additional circuits for selectively causing one or all of the additional circuits to be responsive to the control means.

The invention is of particular utility when embodied in a lighting system for controlling the bright and tilt filaments of an automobile driving light, in which use the invention is here specifically described.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, taken together with the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a view somewhat diagrammatic,

showing the illustrative circuits here described including headlight and driving light circuits for an automotive vehicle;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of a switch with a legend plate associated therewith indicating some of the circuits referred to.

Referring in detail to the figures of the drawing, the illustrative circuit diagram shown in Figure 1 shows a conventional arrangement of two automobile headlights 1 and 2 and a driving 39 light 3. In this instance the headlights 1 and 2 carry a single incandescent bulb 4 provided with a bright filament 5, which may be located in the focus of the reflector of the headlight, and a tilt filament 6 which may be located slightly above the focus of the reflector so as, when energized, to direct its rays somewhat more downwardly upon the road. Similarly, the driving light 3 may also have a single incandescent bulb 7 carrying a bright filament 8 and a "tilt filament 9. The filaments 5 and 6 may be connected to a common ground 10 and the filaments 8 and 9 to a common ground 11, which may be the metallic frame of the vehicle to provide a return path for the electric current to the grounded battery 12, all in accordance with conventional automotive lighting practice.

The bright filaments 5 and the tilt filaments 6 of the headlights may be controlled by any suitable switching mechanism, such as that illustrated diagrammatically at 13, which is in series with the battery 12 by means of an insulated conductor 14 and which is also in series with the conductors 15 and 16, these being respectively the conductors for the bright" and tilt filaments of the headlight 1, the conductors 15a and 16a being branched therefrom respectively to the other headlight 2. By means of the movable contact 1'! of the switching mechanism 13, either the bright filaments of both headlights or the tilt filaments of both head- 69 lights may be energized, or all of these filaments may have a circuit therethrough discontinued in the off position of the switching mechanism 13. As shown in full lines in Figure 1, the movable contact 17 is in a position to energize the tilt filaments 6 of the headlights l and 2, the other operative positions of the movable contact being indicated by dotted lines.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide the unitary switching mechanism 18 for providing auxiliary control means for circuits in parallel respectively with the bright and tilt filament circuits of the headlights. As here shown, these additional circuits include the conductor 19 which is in parallel with the conductors l5-15a and which through the switch 18 may be placed in series with the conductor 21 leading to the bright'filament 8 of the driving light 3. Another such additional circuit includes the conductor 19a which is in parallel with the conduc- 30 tors 1616a and which through the switch 18 may be placed in series with the conductor 20 leading to the tilt filament 9 of the driving light.

The bright filament 8 and the "tilt fila- 35 ment 9 of the driving light 3 may be controlled by any suitable switching mechanism, such as disclosed in my copending application, Serial No. 657,552, filed February 20, 1933, and which I have illustrated diagrammatically at 18, any suitable switch of the four-position type may be employed which is adapted in one position to continue the circuit therethrough from the conductor 19 to the conductor 21 to the bright filament 8 of the driving light, in another position to connect therethrough the conductor 19a to the conductor 20 to the "tilt filament of the driving light 3, in another position to connect concurrently both conductors 19 and 19a to conductors 2i and 20 to the respective filaments of the driving light 3 and in the last position to discontinue all circuits therethrough. In the illustrative diagram of Figure 1, the switch 18 is shown as having four spaced apart abutments or contacts, namely, contact 22 connected to conductor 19, contact 23 connected to conductor 19a, contact 24 connected to conductor 21, and contact 25 connected to conductor 20, respectively. A current continuing bridge, not shown, is operated by p an actuator 26 shown in Figure 2 as extending through a legend plate 2'7, preferably mounted on the instrument board 28, and having four positioning notches 29 adapted to position the actuator 26 in any one of the four positions of the switch to cause the circuit continuing bridge to close the indicated circuits to the driving light, or discontinue all circuits therethrough.

When the actuator 26 is in the off position, no circuits are completed through the switch 18, and the bright and tilt filaments of the headlights are controlled by the switch 13, while the driving light 3 will remain dark. When the actuator 26 is in the bright and tilt position, it will have caused its current continuing bridge to continue the circuits from both conductors l9 and 19a to the respective filaments of the driving light 3, so that the bright and tilt filaments of both headlights 2 and driving light 3 are controlled in unison by the switch 13 and when so operated the driving light may be cut out by the actuator 26 independently of the headlights. When the actuator is in the bright position, it will have caused its current continuing bridge to continue the circuit through contacts 22 and 24 from conductors 19 and 15 to the bright filaments 8 of the driving light 3, so that by operation of the movable contact 17 of the switch 13, the bright filaments of the headlights and driving lights may be operated together, but when the contact 17 is moved to operate the tilt filaments of the headlights the driving light will remain dark. Likewise, when the actuator 26 is moved to the tilt position it will have caused its current continuing bridge to continue the circuit through contacts 23 and 24 from conduits 19a and 16 to the tilt filament 9 of the driving light 3, so that by operation of the movable contact 17 of the switch 13 the tilt filaments of the headlights and driving light may be operated together, but when the contact 17 is moved to operate the bright filaments of the headlights, the driving light 3 will remain dark.

By the interpositioning of this switch 18 in the circuits from the headlight filaments to the battery 12, the driving light may be operated concurrently with the filaments of the headlights or cut out altogether or may be selectively operated in conjunction with the operation of either one of the headlight filaments, but not both, when the contact 17 of the switch 13 is operated.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the embodiment shown herein for purposes of illustration, and other embodiments and applications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In a lighting system, the combination with a plurality of lighting circuits; of means for selectively controlling said circuits; additional circuits in parallel respectively with the first mentioned circuits; and switching mechanism in the additional circuits for selectively causing one of the additional circuits to be closed when either of the first mentioned circuits are closed, said unitary switching mechanism including means for selectively causing one of the additional circuits to be closed when one of the first mentioned circuits is closed while the other additional circuit remains open when the other first mentioned circuit is closed.

2. In a lighting system for automotive vehicles, the combination with a pair of headlights each having bright and tilt filaments; of means for selectively energizing one filament of each pair; a driving light having bright and tilt filaments; and unitary switching mechanism for selectively causing one of the filaments of the driving light to be energized when one of the headlight filaments are energized.

3. In a lighting system for automotive vehicles, the combination with a pair of headlights each having bright and tilt filaments; of means for selectively energizing one filament of each pair; a driving light having bright and tilt filaments; and unitary switching mechanism for selectively causing the bright or tilt filament of the driving light to be energized respectively when either the bright or tilt headlight filaments are energized, said switching mechanism including means for selectively causing one of the driving light filaments to be energized when one of the headlight filaments is energized, the other driving light filament remaining deenergized when the other headlight filament is energized.

4. In a lighting system for automotive vehicles, the combination with a pair of headlights each having bright and tilt filaments; of means for selectively energizing one filament of each pair; a driving light having bright and tilt filaments; and unitary switching mechanism for selectively causing the bright or tilt filament of the driving light to be energized respectively when either the bright or tilt headlight filaments are energized, said switching mechanism including means for selectively causing one of the driving light filaments to be energized when its corresponding headlight filament is energized, the other driving light filament remaining deenergized when its corresponding headlight filament is energized.

5. In a lighting system, a plurality of lights each having bright and tilt filaments, means operable to selectively energize the bright 01' tilt filaments and means interposed between said operating means and one of the lights operable independently of the first means to cut out said lights, cause its filaments to be energized concurrently with the filaments of the other lights and to cause its filaments to be selectively energized only when the selected filaments of the other lights are energized.

6. In a lighting system for an automotive vehicle including a pair of headlights and a driving light, each of said lights being provided with two filament bulbs, a source of electricity, circuits adapted to be established by a switching mechanism to the bright filaments or tilt filaments of the headlights, and an additional switching member provided with means for establishing circuits from the bright and tilt filaments of the driving light in parallel with the circuits to the headlights operable in one position to energize the filaments of the driving light concurrently with the filaments of the headlights, in another position to energize the bright filaments of the driving light concurrently with the energization of the bright filaments of the headlights, in another position to energize the tilt filament of the driving light concurrently with the tilt filament of the headlights and in the latter two positions to cut out the driving light and in a fifth position to discontinue the circuit therethrough.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

